little electrical project....

[Big Black Stilo]

I have a battery that used to live in our 306 but got too bad to hold enough charge to crank a diesel in the cold, but it still charges.
now, I'm thinking I need some lighting in my shed, and I was thinking of using LED light bulbs and also wiring in a solar panel to trickle charge it.
anyone ideas?

 

[Focus Owner]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SOLAR-POW...00580136727?pt=UK_Gadgets&hash=item5d446fcf17

so how much power you want? is the question.
Do you want to use it once a week or daily? flood light?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12v-5w-10...lock-Diode-Alligator-Clips-/321125817946?rd=1
so lets say you get a 50W solar panel.

assume 50% will reach n leave battery, see below for my assumption
http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2010/ph240/sun1/

so a 50 watt panel will provide enouth running for
http://www.screwfix.com/p/masterlite-led-30w-energy-efficient-floodlight/21530
all night in theory, not allowing for cold damage to flat batteries the age of the battery and such.

I dont know much on electricity and most of this is assumption based, but id take the risk. trust the light.

edit somthing like this would be nice as well.
smeg it i might do this at home
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Solar-Cha...51353550478?pt=UK_Gadgets&hash=item3a85d6ce8e

 

[Big Black Stilo]

cheers. all this started from "I should scrap this battery"

"but I could use it to make a light"

"and I wonder whether it could charge itself solar wise"

eventually I may, when I can bring myself to tear up a garden that's just been landscaped, have a proper electric supply from the house, but for now the light idea with the old battery idea is food for thought.

also, our bunnies maybe in the shed at winter, will a trickle charging battery give off any poisonous gas that would kill them?

 

[Big Black Stilo]

it's just an interior light I was thinking, something that might be used once a night at most, at least just at weekends.

 

[jenks69]

I have an old battery as a second in the landy, it's used for the TV the interior tube light, charging phone / nexus. It's duff couldn't even start a 800cc engine however I can get several hours light / TV between charges. It's on a split charge system so it charges when I drive. However I do have a small solar panel from maplins that I keep meaning to connect.......

I will be doing exactly the same thing at one of my rented garages so I can work through the dark nights on the cars, I have a bank of three duffers that can't start an engine but I am sure with LED lighting and charging them it will be blackpool illuminations in there... at leat I hope so!

As for gasses yes batteries on charge do give off gas, however trickle charging shouldn't produce too much, better safe than sorry hook up a tube (fish tank air stone tube) normally fits or the tube from the washer bottle to jets on most cars fits (scrappies may let you have it mega cheap), fit that to the battery poke it out under the door etc jobs a good un.

 

[Big Black Stilo]

so if I seal the battery in a box that has a breather tube on it to the outside world I should be ok?

 

[jenks69]

I wouldn't do that - as gasses could build up in the box, the actual battery will have a breather hole connect the tube to that then the outside world. If you keep the battery in a box, the gas could build up in the box and then a small spark would be boom! It's hydrogen that batteries give off amungst other things.

 

[Big Black Stilo]

would it poison bunnys? it's an 8x8 shed.

also, light wise, is it just a case if butchering an LED security light?

 

[Focus Owner]

look at caravan stuff
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TWIN-TUBE...ervan_Caravan_Accessories&hash=item1e646de83e

 

[Big Black Stilo]

good idea batman... I'm on it

 

[Ziggy122]

Stick it in a battery box and give it a decent
A vent at the top to allow fumes to escape
B a drain at the bottom to alloy any fluid escapes out

If the battery does leak - time to visit the scrappy

Ziggy

 

[EvoStevo]

And get 12v lights tand fit them at the point they need to provide light.

I.E. just above a workbench etc.
I say this because in general they are not as bright as mains ones.

 

[Ziggy122]

Remember your fuses as well!

Ziggy

 

[Big Black Stilo]

ok so I need some tubing, wiring, a caravan light and fuses, I take it being a low voltage system, car fuses?

 

[a1ant]

Hi mate,

My sister has a summer house at the bottom of her garden that she uses for her Rabbits and guinea pigs. A couple of years ago I put in a solar system connected to an old truck battery that I had lying around.

I went for a 30w solar panel connected to a charge controller (important). The solar panel is mounted on the roof in the direction that the sun is mainly in during summer.

The Lighting is powered directly from the charge controller. The charge controller I used had functions such as timers etc so that the lights could come on automatically at certain times and also it protected the battery from deep discharge and overcharge. There are simply 2 wires that go from the charge controller to the battery (+ and -) which is protected by a 10amp fuse at the battery end. The lighting and other electrical items then simply come of the charge controllers outputs.

During this last summer, when in direct sunlight, the battery was charging at around 2.5 amps for around 10hrs a day. That was more than enough to keep the battery nearly fully charged despite the lights being used for a few hours a night. I also connected up a bank of cigarette lighter sockets that I had lying around and she was able to charge her phone/ ipad/ baby monitor etc whilst out in the garden during the day.

When it was really hot for a week or so, I took a 1000w inverter round and she ran a small tower fan in there to cool it down a bit for them, as she doesnt like leaving the door open at night incase a fox gets in! That ran all night with no problems (although obv a truck battery will have a higher Ah rating than yours probably) and the battery was back up to full by the next evening.

Re which lights to use... Ive done several fit outs on horse box livings and in vans etc, and I would recommend only using LED's nowadays. Try and avoid searching specifically for "caravan" lights as that seems to add 50% to the price! In my sisters case, I used 2 1.5m 12v led strips. One either side. They provide more than enough light and draw very little current.

As you say, as its essentially a 12v system, all the fuses and fuse holders can be 12v blade fuses.

Re the gasses... I wouldnt worry... a shed isnt air tight and is fairly draughty anyway. Also a battery being Charged at around 2/3 amps isnt really going to produce much gas. Never had a problem with my sisters and that has double glazing and air tight door.

Hope that helps,
Alan

 

[Big Black Stilo]

cheers Alan, will be looking into this as soon as I get a shed!